The present invention relates to an ammunition feed device for automatic small arms, in which the feed is controlled by the counter-recoil of the breech and the magazine enclosing the ammunition extends in parallel to the axis of the barrel of the weapon, the rounds being placed in perpendicular to and underneath the afore-mentioned axis.
The invention is notably aimed at an ammunition feed device for so-called "fragile" ammunition such as caseless ammunition.
In most small arms, the feed phase is carried out upon the counter-recoil of the breech. The latter drives the round from its presentation position (roughly parallel to the axis of the barrel) to the gun chamber by pushing (impacting) on the base of the round.
Caseless ammunition is too fragile for such a feed system. A suitable feed device must therefore be envisaged which enables the transfer of the round while minimizing the strain to which it is subjected.
Moreover, this feed device must enable the transfer of a round from a longitudinal magazine placed along the axis of the barrel, the round being presented in perpendicular to the axis of the barrel.
This choice exploits the advantages which small arms present in that it enables large-capacity magazines to be integrated (increasing the infantryman's stock of ammunition) without modifying the compactness of the arm.